Being able to type fast is a skill giving you a real advantage in the world today. You’ll definitely want to type as fast as possible, which is related to your time spent on keyboard. You need to type for chatting, writing emails and preparing professional documents. Yet, have you ever wondered what average typing speed is or how it is determined? Do you type above or below the average typing speed?

How Is Typing Speed Measured?

WPM, or words per minute, is a measure of words which are processed in a minute, many times used to measure reading speed or typing speed.

Each word is standardized to be five characters or keystrokes long for the purpose of measuring typing, including . “I run”, for example, is a phrase which counts as one word, however, “let’s talk” and “rhinoceros” both are considered two words. CPM, or characters per minute, is WPM times five, so this means that 20 WPM are 100 CPM.

Words per minute, or WPM for short is the most important and basic score. This is often a corrected score, where each error made during this test lowers the words per minute by one. An accuracy percentage is another common score. This is simply the amount of words you got correct, compared to how many you actually typed. 90% accuracy, for instance, means that you averaged 9 out of 10 words correct.

What Is the Average Typing Speed?

So what is the average typing speed on the keyboard? Who type the fastest, and how can your typing speed assist you in getting a better job offer?

1

Average Typing Speed

What is the average typing speed? On average, girls practice typing more than boys do, however boys usually show better results with an average of 44 WPM, while girls have an average of 37 WPM.

2

Average Accuracy

The average accuracy rate is 92%. The average typist will make eight typos for every 100 words which were actually typed.

3

Fastest Typist

In the English language, the fastest typist in the world had a top speed of 216 words per minute. Stella Pajunas did this on the IBM Electric Typewriter in 1946.

4

Communication Speeds

Typing helps communication in some occasions; well what is the communication speed? Here are some figures: the fastest speaker can speak 637 WPM; the average computer typist can type 41 WPM, while the fastest English language typist has an average of 216 WPM. The average adult reading speed is 270 WPM and the fastest speed while using a stenotype is 360 WPM.

5

Age Distribution

Younger people under the age of 18 make up the largest age group of all typing students. They will learn to type faster while in school or right before getting their first job.

6

Practice Makes Perfect

People who can type faster than the average typing speed of 41 WPM, train three times as much as those who type more slowly than this.

How to Improve Your Typing Speed

1

Practice

It is like learning a new language when learning how to touch type at an average typing speed. You won’t be able to do either without a lot of practice. Just like a second language, if you don’t use it you’ll forget it. Even if it’s just typing an email to someone you know, keep typing. Constant practice won’t only reinforce what you've learned; it will increase your overall speed accuracy, too.

2

Pay Attention to Posture

It’s tempting to sit the way you find most comfortable, however, it’s not always good for the right techniques of typing. You need to sit properly with your feet on the floor in front of you, and your hands should be on the keyboard properly. Overall this will make your accuracy and speed better, and can help stop repetitive strain injuries. For someone who spends a lot of time on the computer this is essential.

3

Find an Engaging Program

This is a perfect idea for teaching young children typing skills. You can use a classic typing tutor or a game, but whatever you pick, stick with it and ensure you take at least thirty minutes per day practicing. It still comes down to practicing, as it is the key to improving your average words per one minute of typing speed.

4

Software

Using typing software is the best way to gain speed. There are several good programs you can use. Each person has their own opinion, but the first two on this list are really great. You could potentially learn to type up to four times faster when you use professional touch-typing techniques. Many times you’ll notice an almost immediate difference.

TypingMaster – This is well-known around the web, and users give it great reviews. It includes typing games and the company has many versions to pick from, including an advanced free typing test.

TypeKids.com – This is the best pick for kids, and they can learn by playing a treasure hunt game they’ll love.

Key Advantage Typing – This got 4 stars from Cnet review editors, and works with both Mac and Windows computers.

5

Typing Figures

When you type without looking at the keyboard, this is called touch typing. The point here is to teach your fingers where each key is. The F and J keys have a raised dot or bar, which lets your finger identify them. After you’ve placed your two indexes on these keys, your other fingers are placed on the keys adjacent to them.

So if you want to type fast, you have to be careful which finger is used to press a key. Certain keys are special. ASDF and JKL; are the base positions for your fingers. You start at this base position for all the keys you need to press. Look at the drawing below and see that each color matches a finger.

Tips

Lightly but crisply tap on each key. If you don’t bang on the keys, but use minimum force, your fingers can move faster.

Don’t try too hard or force your speed, but type as quickly as you can, or else you’ll wind up making more mistakes.

Sit upright and use proper posture. Stay relaxed.

Positioning for monitor/keyboard: your elbows, wrist and keyboard should be on the same plane, and also at a 90 degree angle to your upper arms.